Unfortunately, the State of Michigan charges Minor in Possession as a misdemeanor offense. The law states that a minor may not purchase, consume, possess, or attempt to do any of those things or have any bodily alcohol content.

Any bodily alcohol content is defined as either (1) an alcohol content of .02 grams or more per 100 milliliters of blood, per 210 liters of breath, or per 67 milliliters of urine or (2) any presence of alcohol within a person’s body from the consumption of alcoholic liquor. A simple admission of consumption could be enough to convict you of this crime.

The penalties for a Michigan MIP include fines and court fines, probation, community service, alcohol education classes, substance abuse treatment, daily breath testing, random drug screens and jail time on a second or subsequent offense.

It's very common for an underage person to get caught with alcohol in Ann Arbor. The police department tend to be overly aggressive around campus, and will approach people without warning. If you're walking around Ann Arbor at night, and you're underage, and show any signs of alcohol consumption, be very careful. The two most common scenarios in Ann Arbor for police contact are urinating in an alley, and standing on the sidewalk or on private property with alcohol. The police are trained to detect underage drinkers, and these arrests bring in a lot of money for the city.